Guitar

Guitar Hero has spawned a large number of mods, hacks and general tweakery, with gamers often looking to use proper instruments in place of the normal controllers. However this is the first time I’ve seen a Guitar Hero controller converted in the opposite direction; it now works as a MIDI guitar, compatible with any synth with the necessary port. Best of all, there’s actually no damage to the controller’s original functionality, so you can switch between gaming and music making to your heart’s content.

You know that robotic guitar that Gibson rolled out last year that could auto tune itself to a number of different scales and were programmable to any custom tuning you required? It was like the most badass guitar ever, well they are making a new version that will be more widely available, since getting your hands on one of the originals was nigh impossible.

Hands-on Mobile and Magmic Games are the two companies that are partnered up in an effort to bring one of the best mobile games of all time to your BlackBerry. Being a primarily business oriented device the BlackBerry has been passed up on a lot of really cool mobile games, but this is one that you can mark off the list.

Personally I am just wondering if you’ll have access to all 5 frets or if they are sticking with the three frets that previous mobile versions have offered up. When you first download the game you’ll get 15 tracks including “Cherub Rock”, “Miss Murder”, “Monsters”, “Suck My Kiss”, and “Trippin On A Hole”.

I’ve been rocking out on a plastic guitar for a while now; too long some would say. I finally decided a couple months ago that I would finally get myself a real guitar and learn to play some of the songs I’ve been playing for so long. While I’ve been spending plenty of time lately learning chords and building up calluses on my fingers, I’ve been thinking about how much fun it was when I first learned to play on Guitar Hero, and how boring it is learning the real guitar. I know my hard work will pay off eventually, but I have something of a short attention span. Guitar Rising is a new game (if you can call it that) that is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Hit the jump for an awesome video.

I got a copy of Rock Band with all the instruments for Christmas, and other than one weekend where I played for nearly 30 hours straight, I haven’t played much (its hard to get my band mates back together). But one issue we had was the 4th guitar, there were only 3 of us, but if a 4th came along to play, we would have had some issues, and having a duel was out of the question.

So the word on the streets is that there is a new Rock Band addition headed our way come 6/23/08. Sadly its not a new accordion or harmonica part for some of these songs, instead it appears to be some sort of official Rock Band special effects kit with a fog machine and generic stage lighting that is apparently synchronized with the music.

Allow me to list just the technology stuffed in this thing that allows it to tune itself, there are locking servo powered tuners in the tuning keys, there is a CPU in the neck, which is all controlled by they Tune-Control Bridge, a Tune Core Controller, Data-Transmitting Tailpiece and much more. To tune it, automatically, obviously, because why would you buy this to tune it yourself, you select A440 tuning or there are 5 other presets.

I have been looking for months for a guitar strap to go with my collection of Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars. Unfortunately I always look for something completely off the wall and with a bit of geeky influence, which means it’s doubtful I’ll find one at the local music store. However, my search is finally over, this 8-Bit Guitar Strap is just the thing.

So the guitar craze due to Guitar Hero and Rock Band are probably causing large numbers of guitars to go quickly out the doors at music stores around the nation, but large numbers don’t always equal large guitars. Just look at this one from Hammacher Schlemmer.

It’s a mere 26.5 inches long but still has 20 frets. Personally, I’d never want to see someone up on stage jamming out on a guitar like this, but it is small, and simple, so for a practice guitar it’d be nice, you could just stuff it in your locker, or your luggage, no problem.